and it's been a long december
by sodium-amytal
Summary: "This is our first Christmas together as a couple—do you know how embarrassed I'm gonna be if Chandler gets me somethin' real expensive and I gotta give him, like, an orange?" S2. Inexcusable fluff to the highest degree.


Chandler tugs his scarf tighter around his neck, conscious of the little red love bites Joey left on his throat the night before. He loves the crisp chill of the December air in the city, the steam rising from a hot cup of coffee, and the layers upon layers of clothing required to keep warm. Joey's not a big fan of layers, which Chandler absolutely approves of, because that means less work for him when they get back to the apartment and undress each other with frantic hands.

Joey stuffs his hands into the pockets of his coat, pulling it tight around him as they pass by shops decorated with tinsel and lights. Chandler smiles despite himself. "Should'a worn gloves, Joe."

"Or maybe you could be a good boyfriend and warm me up." Joey reaches for Chandler's hand before Chandler pulls away.

"I'm not holding hands with you in public."

Joey pouts in a way that makes him look five years old. "And this is why you're kinda a crappy boyfriend."

Chandler makes a face. "God, don't call me that. I feel like we should be passing notes to each other in algebra class, and—wait, I'm _crappy_?"

"I said 'kinda!' I mean, you're good with the other stuff, like the sex and supportin' my acting and doin' stuff around the house, but you kinda suck when it comes to actually tellin' people about us."

Chandler cringes inwardly, because Joey's absolutely right; it took him two months to let Joey tell the others that they're a thing. Chandler still hasn't told his mother, even when she called a week ago to say she'd be in town for Christmas. He secretly hopes that Joey hasn't told his family either. "Okay, yeah, I do, but I really wanna take things slow here. This is the best relationship I've ever had; I don't wanna screw it up by being, well, Chandler."

Joey laughs. "But I like Chandler. If I didn't, I'd be datin' somebody else." He moves a little closer as the sidewalk narrows, tries to finagle a hand into Chandler's pocket. Chandler lets him keep it there, because he's not a total dick.

He wants to argue that Joey probably doesn't like the ugly parts that make him jealous and insecure and self-conscious and awkward, except Joey _has_ seen those parts and deemed him an acceptable boyfriend regardless. So maybe Joey really does like Chandler.

Joey squeezes Chandler's hand and asks, "What're you gettin' me for Christmas?"

"I'm not good enough for you?" Chandler teases. "You're awfully greedy this year, Joe."

"Well, fine, I'm crossin' you off my nice list." Joey pouts, tries to look put out.

"Does that mean I'm now on your naughty list? Because I'm totally okay with that." Chandler blinks in realization. "Do you still have that elf costume?"

Joey just grins, probably picturing something elaborately sexual in his head; Joey's brain must be a fun place. After a moment, he says, "Hey, don't try to distract me! At least gimme a hint!"

"Respect the surprise." Chandler squeezes his hand a little tighter. "You can wait a couple more days, can't you?"

Joey just gives him a look like he's judging Chandler's intelligence for that question.

"Okay, maybe you can't, but you're gonna have to." Joey wasn't this impatient last year, but he didn't have the same methods of persuasion that he does now; it's so much harder to deny Joey anything when his mouth's kissing lines over Chandler's skin.

Joey keeps frowning at him until they pass a clothing store. "Oh, hey, we ought'a stop in here for Rach!"

Chandler chuckles and pulls Joey back. "Remember what happened to Monica last year?"

Joey nods grimly. Monica bought Rachel a sweater from some fancy, high-end clothing shop that she thought would be perfect; Rachel ended up returning it and buying a blouse on store credit. And that was Monica, someone who knows Rachel better than anyone in their group. If Monica struck out, what hope could Chandler and Joey have? "Oh yeah. So, what, gift cards?"

"It's the thought that counts, right?" Chandler agrees.

Inside the store, Joey finds a dress that's perfect for Phoebe—as well as various baubles for his sisters—so not all is lost. Chandler even picks up a watch for Ross, because the leather band is textured to look like dinosaur scales, and Ross is just enough of a dork to appreciate that.

Chandler finds a gold necklace for Monica in a jewelry store a few blocks down. Joey just sort of hovers by the jewelry cases, most of their contents completely out of his price range. Chandler notices him pull a few thoughtful faces at some of the items but thinks nothing of it.

"Y'know, I didn't see you pick out anything for me in those stores," Chandler cajoles him, slinking his free arm around Joey's as they walk through the slow drift of fluffy snowflakes; he sees Joey's grin out of his peripheral vision.

"Maybe I did it while you weren't lookin'. I can be sneaky."

"No, you can't. Every single time you try to sneak out of bed to get a snack, you wake me up."

Joey frowns like he's been caught red-handed. "How come you never said anything? I could'a made you a sandwich or somethin'."

Chandler just shakes his head with a chuckle. "So, I'm assuming you've already bought my present, huh?"

"Y—yeah, I did! And you'll never find it!"

Chandler grins at him. "Is it you?"

"No, better! But I'm not tellin' you 'til you give me a hint about mine." Joey rubs his hands together. "Man, I hate the cold!"

"I love it!"

"I know, 'cause you're a freak." He sticks his free hand into his coat pocket. "How can you like bein' cold?"

"Maybe because I dress warm enough?"

Joey scoffs at the notion. "Don't you get hot when you go inside?"

"It's called 'taking your coat off,' Joey, and it's a very simple concept. You're pretty adept at taking your clothes off anyway; I don't see why you're not all over this."

"Why can't I just be comfortable inside and outside?" Joey whines, before his train of thought's interrupted by neon signs promising delicious food; he swerves in the direction of a pizza parlor. "I'm gettin' hungry. What about you?"

Chandler pulls him back by the sleeve of his coat. "Don't you like my cooking, Joe?"

"Oh yeah, 'cause I can't make my own cup of noodles," Joey grumbles—just loud enough for Chandler to hear—and rolls his eyes.

"Hey, you said I made the best mac and cheese you've ever had."

Joey shrugs, because he _did_ say that. "Okay, yeah, you do."

"Just don't tell Monica. She'd be heartbroken."

They get back to their apartment—their coats hung on the coat rack, shoes kicked off unceremoniously, gifts hidden under beds and inside closets—and Chandler gets started on preparing dinner. Joey goes across the hall to Monica and Rachel's apartment while Monica's wrapping presents. She yelps and pulls a blanket off the top of the couch to cover the gifts. "Joey! Would you please learn how to knock during the holiday season?"

"Sorry." He comes closer to sit on the arm of the couch. Monica presses her hands over the blanket covering the pile of presents, just in case he tries something sneaky. "Are you wrappin' my present?"

"I'm not telling you whose it is."

"Is it mine? I bet it's mine."

Monica rolls her eyes at him.

Joey sees that he's getting nowhere here, so he tries another avenue: "Can you at least tell me what you got Chandler?"

"No!"

"Aw, c'mon, Mon, where's your Christmas spirit?"

"If I tell you, I know you're just going to tell him and ruin the whole surprise. You can't keep secrets. At all."

Joey shrugs, conceding. "I got a problem. I don't know what to get for Chandler. I mean, I see a bunch of stuff I think he'd like, but I can't afford any of it. This is our first Christmas together as a couple—do you know how embarrassed I'm gonna be if he gets me somethin' real expensive and I gotta give him, like, an orange?"

Monica stares at him incredulously. "An orange?"

"Okay, maybe a couple oranges."

She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose like this conversation actually _hurts_.

"So what should I do? You've known him longer than I have; maybe there's somethin' I'm not thinkin' of."

"You could make him something yourself."

"Monica, I'm an actor. What, you want me to act for him?"

"You've gotta be good at _something_ besides acting...right?"

Joey thinks about this for a moment. "Well, yeah, but we do that every night."

"Do what—" Monica stops, shuts her eyes when she realizes what Joey's talking about. "That is so much more than I wanted to know. Thank you, Joey." He just grins as if to say "you're welcome." Monica sighs. "You're not good at anything else?"

"I guess I'm an okay cook. But I make dinner a lot. That's nothin' special."

"You could make it special. You don't need to spend a lot of money to show someone you care about them." She gestures to the obscured pile of presents in front of her. "I made most of my gifts this year. I'm sure you can think of something he'd like. My God, Joey, you _live_ with him."

"Yeah, I know," Joey drags out with a sigh, because he feels like the world's worst boyfriend right now. "I just want it to be special. And I don't want him feelin' ripped off if he got me somethin' real expensive."

Monica reaches for his hands, and he lets her take them. "Joey, honey, if Chandler bought you something expensive, he did it because he loves you. He's not expecting anything extravagant in return. Let's be sappy for a moment: you're the best gift you could ever give him."

"Yeah, that is pretty sappy, Mon."

"But it's true." She smiles at him, and for a moment Joey thinks she might be right. "Where is Chandler, anyway?"

"Makin' dinner—Chandler's famous mac and cheese."

"Is that the kind with the really thick sauce?"

"Hey, I like it thick."

"I wasn't—" Monica stops mid-sentence and glares at him. "Get out!" She thwacks his arm, and Joey laughs as he stands up and makes his way for the door.

#

Later that evening, they're reclined in their matching barcaloungers, parked in front of the TV while stuffing their faces. Joey loves nights like this where they can just be, all pretense gone, and eat and laugh together instead of being part of the group. He loves Ross and Rachel and Phoebe and Monica, of course, but there's something uniquely intimate and personal about being alone with the person you love that can't be captured in a group setting.

Chandler's laughing at something ridiculous the alien puppet onscreen is doing, and Joey can't help but smile. Maybe Monica is right; maybe the best gift he can give Chandler is himself. After all, there's nothing in this world Joey could ever want more than Chandler.

"What?" Chandler looks over at him with a quizzical expression. "Are you not watching this? The spaceship's about to crash, and it's gonna be hilarious!"

Joey feels a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. "Sorry, I was just thinkin'." He devours another spoonful of delicious macaroni.

Chandler seems to still be confused. "About what?"

"It's nothin'. I'll tell ya later."

They watch the spaceship crash, and the alien puppet stumbles out onto land with all the finesse of an actor in a costume with no eye-holes. The alien makes a screeching noise that sounds like an out-of-tune horn. "Oh my God," Chandler says around laughter, "I think this is actually supposed to be scary."

Joey shrugs, shovels in another spoonful. "I dunno, it's kinda scary. I mean, if aliens came to earth..."

"They wouldn't look like a guy in a Halloween costume," Chandler finishes for him, gesturing at the screen. "My father looks more intimidating in a dress than this guy does in an alien suit. That's an accomplishment."

Joey laughs. It's easy to laugh around Chandler; he can't control his own limbs or his face or anything about him, really. He's all light and energy and flailing and jokes. Joey's never met anyone like Chandler Bing.

After dinner, they're tangled in the sheets in Joey's bed. Chandler kisses Joey's mouth, sated and appreciative, and Joey flexes his fingers in Chandler's hair that's still damp from the shower. "You gonna give me a hint about my present?" Joey asks around kisses.

"Why do you hate the element of surprise?"

"C'mon, Chandler! I think I've earned a hint! You were makin' noises I've never heard before!"

Chandler smiles, flattered. "You sure know how to sweet-talk a guy, Joe, but you're just gonna have to wait." Joey frowns, and Chandler glides his fingers over the bare skin of his back. "But I know you'll love it."

Joey's legs slide in the sheets, and he settles over Chandler, his limbs finding purchase in the spaces between Chandler's own. "I just wanna know what I'm up against, y'know?" he sighs into Chandler's throat.

"It's not a competition," Chandler says, the fingers of his right hand pushing through Joey's hair while the left trails along his spine. "It's the thought that counts, remember?"

"Yeah, I guess" Joey mutters, closing his eyes and tucking his head into the juncture of Chandler's neck and shoulder.

"Hey, y'know, you don't really have to get me anything. I just like being with you. I mean, I lucked out tremendously in dating you, so I think I can go without a gift for the next couple of years." Joey can hear Chandler's smile in his voice.

"I still get one though, right?"

Chandler laughs in that way of his and pokes Joey between the ribs. "Go to sleep, Joe."

#

Joey's wrapping presents on Christmas Eve when someone knocks on the door; he haphazardly stuffs the gifts into the couch cushions before scrambling to his feet to answer it. Chandler's mother, Nora, smiles warmly at him from the other side of the door. "Joey, it's good to see you again!"

Joey opens his mouth, closes it. "Mrs. Bing! What—what a surprise! Chandler didn't tell me you were stopping by!" Joey lets her in because, hey, what can he do? It's his boyfriend's mom.

"I thought I'd surprise my favorite son."

"Well, uh, he's at work now, but he should be home soon." Joey rubs the back of his neck, offers her a seat. He notices she's carrying a package wrapped in elaborate paper. "Is that for Chandler?" She nods. "You wanna put it under our tree with the rest?" Joey gestures with his chin to their simple little Christmas tree near the window.

"Sure." Nora gives him a small smile and places the box alongside the others underneath the tree. She lingers there, examining the collection of presents. "I don't see your name on any of these."

"Yeah, I'm still wrappin' mine, and Chandler's hidin' his 'cause he thinks I'll peek." Joey's not proud of any of this. He squirms a little. "Did you wanna wait for Chandler to show up?"

"That would be fine." She sits on the arm of the couch. "Did Chandler say anything about his plans for tomorrow? I'm willing to bet he tells you more than he tells me."

"Yeah, uh, we were gonna go to my folks' place and have Christmas there." Joey shrugs.

"Do they know about you and Chandler?"

"Yeah, they know we're comin'."

Nora smiles at him in a way that's questioning his intelligence; now Joey knows where Chandler gets it from. He realizes the original intent of her question. Did he just accidentally out his boyfriend? Because Joey thinks that's exactly what happened.

And how the hell did she figure it out so fast?

Joey's about to call Chandler at work to warn him about this situation when Chandler walks through the front door. "Hey, Joe, I—holy crap, what is she doing here?"

Nora smiles, stands up and walks over to him. "Chandler, why didn't you tell me you and Joey were an item? I would've sent flowers."

Chandler spazzes in a way that would be hilarious in any other circumstance. "You—you told her?" he asks, pointing an accusing finger at Joey.

Joey puts his hands up as if warding off an attack. "No! She just—figured it out!"

Nora looks at Chandler. "So it's true?"

Joey watches the blood drain from Chandler's face. Chandler swallows thickly, takes a step back like he expects her to be angry with him. "I—I thought you..."

"I had a hunch, but I wasn't sure until just now."

Chandler looks like he might actually cry; he's breathing and blinking way too fast. Joey moves a little closer to offer some silent support.

Nora places a hand on Chandler's arm. "Oh, relax, honey, I'm hardly surprised. You always were your father's son." Chandler's jaw tightens in a way that only Joey notices. "I had it coming after last year." She chuckles at the memory.

Chandler scowls, exhales in that angry way of his; Joey thinks maybe the statute of limitations has passed on being angry at Ross for kissing her but, whatever, who is he to judge? He'd probably still be a little pissed if it was his mom.

"So, Joey tells me you're spending Christmas with his family?"

Chandler nods stiffly.

"Would it be too much of an imposition to have dinner with your dear old mom tonight?" Nora asks.

Chandler opens his mouth—probably to say "yes"—before Joey squeezes his hand and shuts him up. "That's okay with me. Chandler?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Chandler grates out.

#

By the time they get back to their apartment, it's a little past midnight. Chandler grumbles under his breath as he hangs up his coat and kicks off his shoes. Joey does the same, albeit with less heat to it. "What's wrong? You didn't have a good time? I thought the food was pretty good."

Chandler leans against the foosball table. "The food was great. My mom? Not so much! I knew she was gonna do this!"

"Do what? She seemed happy for us."

"But at what cost, Joey? What cost?" Chandler flails his arms in a particularly dramatic way. "I could've started a drinking game—take a drink each time she makes some snide, back-handed comment about me being just like my father—but I would have _died_!"

Joey moves closer, nudges Chandler against the table. "You know that's all her crap, right? If likin' another guy makes you just like your dad, then I'm just like Al Pacino 'cause I'm an Italian actor." Joey spreads his hands, makes a face as if to say "combat my flawless logic."

Chandler sighs. "I know, it just...pisses me off." He drags a hand through his hair before Joey kisses his frowny mouth. "But that makes me feel slightly better."

Joey smiles, takes Chandler's hands in his own. "I'll kiss you all night if you help me with somethin'."

"What is it?"

"Help me wrap everybody's presents?" Joey pushes up a hopeful expression. "I started on 'em this afternoon, but then your mom showed up."

"Is my present included?" Chandler asks with wide eyes.

"I already did yours," Joey lies carefully, "'cause I wanted it to be special." Chandler swoons. "C'mon, I'll do anything you want."

"You always do," Chandler teases, but agrees to help Joey anyway because he's a great boyfriend.

#

Chandler wakes up to kisses on the back of his neck and Joey's hands pushing under his clothes. "Joe, c'mon," he mumbles. "It's too early."

"It's Christmas!" Joey says, with feeling. "C'mon, don't ya wanna open presents?"

"They'll still be there," Chandler drags out. He hasn't opened his eyes yet, but he's fairly sure it's not even light out. "Go back to sleep."

Joey lies there for a moment before whining, "I can't sleep! I'm too excited!"

Chandler heaves a sigh; dating Joey is pretty much a full-time job.

"Chandler, please?" Joey pleads, and Chandler just knows he's wearing that adorable puppy face he likes to use when he begs. Chandler's thankful his face is buried into the pillow so he can't fall prey to Joey's methods of persuasion. "Just get up, and we'll open presents, and then I won't bother you for the rest of the day, okay? You can come right back in and go to sleep 'til we have to leave."

Chandler rolls onto his back, pries open one eye to look at Joey. He figures that spending an hour or so opening gifts is a small price to pay to see Joey happy, so Chandler drags himself out of bed and throws on one of Joey's oversized sweaters. Joey's giddy with excitement, rushing out into the living room and plopping down by their tree near the window.

Chandler rubs his eyes, squinting furiously as Joey flicks on the colorful lights woven around the tree. Of fucking course Joey would only be a morning person on Christmas. Joey takes a package from under the tree and hands it to Chandler. "Your mom dropped this off for you when she came over."

"It's probably her new book." Chandler frowns at the thought and opens it anyway. He's surprised to see a collection of some his favorite sci-fi novels staring back at him. "Oh wow, I didn't think she remembered." He smiles half-heartedly, struggling with the emotion. Joey gives him a perplexed look. "When I was a teenager, I used to read a lot, and my favorite books were the _Star Wars_ novels and dystopian future stories and stuff like that."

"So, nerd stuff?"

Chandler chuckles. "Yeah. But they got worn out and lost over the years. I can't believe she remembered that." Inside the box holding the books is another smaller box wrapped in elegant paper. There's a note on top of it bearing his mother's handwriting:

_Chandler, your father asked me to give you this. It's up to you whether to open it or not, but I thought you should have the option._

He tears the paper open and takes the lid off. Inside is an elegant gold watch that looks like it might have cost a small fortune. He feels his heart in his throat.

"Oh man, she got you a watch, too?" Joey exclaims.

"No, this—this is from my dad."

"Oh." Joey knows the significance of this and stays quiet. Chandler isn't sure how to feel about this right now, so he slides a box over to Joey that has his name on it.

Joey tears into the paper with all the glee of a child, but his ecstatic expression fades away when he pulls a sweater out of the box. "You got me a sweater? All that build-up and secrecy and you gave me a sweater?"

Chandler can't help but laugh at Joey's reaction; Joey looks like he's questioning everything about his life right now. "Joe, I got you more than one thing, okay? Relax, that was just an afterthought."

Joey's face softens, and a smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. "Oh! Well, in that case, I love it!"

They make their way through the rest of the presents—homemade brownies from Monica, oatmeal cookies and therapeutic bath salts from Phoebe (Chandler wonders if Joey let it slip to Phoebe about their, uh, shared bathtime). Ross gives Joey a ridiculously large shark pillow that's clearly from the museum gift shop, and Chandler a Star Trek pajama set—complete with Tribble slippers. Rachel gifts Chandler a set of teas and coffee blends from Central Perk, and Joey gets gift passes to various restaurants.

Joey's practically vibrating with anticipation as Chandler slides the final two gifts over to him. "Open the big one first," Chandler says, and Joey is not going to argue with that. He rips open the paper like Wolverine on a bad day, then his face goes through a complicated series of emotions when he sees what's inside: a Sony PlayStation.

Chandler doesn't have time to decode all the various expressions on Joey's face, because Joey's pulling him in and kissing his mouth over and over. "Oh, man, I have the best boyfriend ever! You're amazing, and I'm so sorry I ever said you were crappy!"

Chandler laughs. "Well, you weren't wrong about that, but thank you." He grins despite himself, because making Joey happy is what he lives for.

Joey looks worried when he glances at the smaller, unopened gift. "Uh-oh, what's in the small one?"

"It's underwhelming, but you had to open it last otherwise it'd spoil the whole surprise."

Joey breathes a sigh of relief and unwraps it; inside are a couple games to go along with the console. Joey seems way too relieved by this.

"What did you think was in there?" Chandler asks with a smirk.

"I dunno, I thought maybe you were tryin' to top the PlayStation. Like, you already did that with the sweater, so I was worried."

Chandler reaches for his hands, and Joey gives them to him. "Worried about what? This isn't a competition, remember?"

"I know, I just..." Joey sighs, looks away. "After all you did for me, you're gonna think my gift is dumb."

"No, I won't," Chandler insists. "I'll love whatever it is, whether you bought it or made it yourself, 'cause you took the time and put thought into it." Chandler watches his face. "You did put thought into it, didn't you? You didn't get me, like, a pen or something?"

Joey laughs, but there's no joy. "Nah, nothin' like that."

"Is it a life-size RoboCop statue?" Chandler asks with fervor, squeezing Joey's hands a little too hard.

"I'm gonna give it to you tonight 'cause I gotta, y'know, put it together."

Chandler glances at the clock on the microwave. "We've got a couple hours 'til we have to be at your parents' place. Why not put it together now?"

Joey's cheeks flush pink. "'Cause I just can't, okay? You're gonna spoil the whole thing if you keep askin' questions."

Chandler smiles knowingly and backs off. If he has to wait a little longer, he's okay with that; clearly, the surprise element is important to Joey, so Chandler's not going to bust his balls about it.

"I do have one thing I can give you now, though!" Joey says, his mouth turned up into a devious little grin as he scoots closer and gets Chandler's back against the floor.

Chandler likes where this is going.

#

The sun's starting to set when they get home from Joey's parents' place. Chandler nodded off for a minute or two on the ride home, his head lolled on Joey's shoulder. Joey really needs Chandler out of the way this evening so he can work on his present.

Chandler sets down their bag of loot acquired from Joey's family and slides out of his coat. "You didn't eat too much, did ya?" Joey asks.

"No," Chandler says around a yawn. "I hope I didn't offend them."

Joey laughs. "No way, they love ya—even more now that they know we're not just roommates." He pats Chandler on the shoulder, kisses the shell of his ear. "Hey, why don't you take a nap so I can put your present together? I mean, I know I got you up early, so..."

"Just make sure to wake me up before midnight. I'd like to get my Christmas present on Christmas, y'know?" he teases.

Joey nods and presses a kiss to his mouth. He lets his hands slide off of Chandler's shoulders as Chandler lumbers his way into Joey's bedroom. Joey waits until the door's shut before he starts working on Chandler's present. It's the stupidest idea he's ever had—especially after Chandler bought him a freakin' PlayStation—but Joey's good at this, and Chandler even said Joey didn't need to get him anything, that he just likes being with him. So this should be good enough, right?

Joey still feels like this is a paltry effort, and he hates himself for not being more successful. If he had a real job like Chandler's or Ross's or Monica's he could buy Chandler something meaningful instead of throwing something together in his kitchen. But this is the best he can do, and he hopes it will be enough.

#

When Chandler wakes up, it's dark outside, and he's not entirely sure what year it is. He scrambles for the clock on the bedside table. It's not midnight yet. Thank God. Unless Joey allowed him to sleep through Christmas and into another day entirely, in which case Chandler's going to be pissed.

He opens the door just wide enough to call Joey's name through the crack. No answer. He sighs, sticks his head out and looks around. He can't see Joey. The bathroom door is open and the light is off, so he's probably not in there. Chandler steps out into the living room. "Joe?" This is the same shit that gets people killed in horror movies. He should stop being an idiot.

The front door swings open, and Joey strolls inside, sort of freezing for a moment when he sees Chandler standing there. "Chandler! Hey!"

"What're you doing?" Chandler asks, then: "Is it still Christmas?"

"Yeah, I was just comin' to wake you up so you can get your present!"

Chandler notices that Joey's wearing the sweater he gave him; he doesn't know why that means so much, but it does. "Great! Where is it?"

"Uh, it's outside, so you might wanna put some pants on."

Chandler decides to just wear the slippers and the bottom half of the pajamas he got from Ross, because they're right there and they look really warm. Once Chandler's dressed, Joey takes his hand and pulls him out of the apartment. Chandler barely has time to shut the door behind him. Joey's leading him up the stairs to the roof. Chandler still can't figure out what Joey might have gotten him, especially now in his sleepy haze.

Joey stops at the door that leads to the roof. "Okay, don't get too excited, 'cause this probably isn't what you were hopin' for. But I really hope you like it."

Chandler's about to insist that of fucking course he'll like it, when Joey opens the door. Chandler steps out into the cold night air, lets his eyes adjust to the difference in light. What he sees is absolutely not what he was expecting at all. Right in front of him lies an elaborate picnic setup—Chandler recognizes one of the blankets from Monica's apartment strewn over the cold concrete; in the middle of the blanket sits a delicious-looking pie and a big bowl of what looks like soup or pasta with some bread beside it. Some of the brownies and oatmeal cookies from Monica and Phoebe sit around the pie plate, and Joey's shark pillow is there too for them to sit on.

Chandler feels a lump in his throat. This Christmas is tugging on his heartstrings, that's for sure.

"I would'a lit candles, but I didn't wanna catch anything on fire," Joey says solemnly.

Chandler hears himself chuckle. "Yeah, that—that would've been bad." He turns around to kiss Joey in gratitude, and Joey's mouth is so eager underneath his own, like he never thought Chandler would appreciate this in a million years.

Joey's gazing at him with hopeful eyes when Chandler breaks away. "Do you like it?"

"It's perfect, Joe. Thank you." Joey smiles in wonder, and Chandler takes his hand and guides him to their romantic dinner, since Joey's sort of just standing there in stunned appreciation. "So, what's for dinner?"

Joey sits beside him and scoops out some of the soup into a bowl. "Well, it's cold up here, and I thought you might want somethin' warm, so I made that pasta soup you like." Chandler remembers how Joey had made this for him when he was sick with the flu, and Joey'd insisted on doting on him. Since then, Joey only makes it on special occasions, because he's a wonderful cook who's lazy as all hell. "And the pie is that cookie cream pie that Ma made for Thanksgiving, remember?"

"'Course I remember, I ate most of it," Chandler says with a laugh. "How long have you been planning this?"

"I dunno, a couple'a days ago? When you told me you liked being with me, and how I didn't have to get you anything, I started thinkin' about it." Joey shrugs. "I wish I could'a done something better that could show you how much I love you."

Chandler looks over at him in shock. "You love me." It's not a question, more like a realization, but Joey seems to interpret it that way, because his face gets all pulled in and sad like he dropped a sandwich in a puddle.

"It isn't obvious?"

Chandler sees the proof in front of him and says, "Yeah, it is."


End file.
